Amanda Bynes may remain in treatment into next year

Amanda Bynes may remain in a mental health facility well into 2014, according to TMZ.

Bynes’ lawyer Gerald Shargel appeared in a New York City courtroom Thursday in connection with an incident in which Bynes allegedly threw a bong out the window of her New York apartment.

Shargel asked for a postponement for up to 18 months while Bynes continues psychiatric treatment.

Sources reportedly told the web site the case will likely be settled through a plea bargain.

Bynes’ mother has dropped her bid to get a permanent conservatorship over her daughter, as Bynes’ doctors have already given her the power to make financial and medical decisions for the actress.

Bynes has been admitted to long-term care at UCLA Medical Center. Sources told TMZ there has not been much improvement in Bynes’ condition since she was admitted last summer after a string of bizarre incidents culminated in Bynes setting a fire in someone’s driveway.